Weather forces delays for Patrouille des Glaciers races
Poor weather conditions have led the start of the Patrouille des Glaciers races planned for Friday to be postponed by 24 hours.
The first starts, which were scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, had already been cancelled on Monday.
Passing weather disturbances in the night from last Friday to Saturday had led to a lot of snow on the course, the organisers announced on Thursday evening. In addition, fog and clouds would prevent normal helicopter flights and thus rescue from the air.
According to the commander of Patrouille des Glaciers, Brigadier Christian Sieber, the postponement was decided upon with the hope of better visibility during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
Safety risks due to the weather conditions had also been the deciding factor in cancelling Tuesday and Wednesday’s launches. A low pressure system from the north-west had caused temperatures to drop to what felt like -25°C at 3,000 metres above sea level. In addition, there were gusts of wind of up to 50km per hour on ridges and crests.
Nearly 4,900 participants had registered for the 40th Patrouille des Glaciers. A total of 1,633 teams of three were due to start. The most experienced teams will set off from Zermatt on the 57.5-km route with its 4,386 metres of ascent. The route from Arolla is 29.6km long and includes 2,200 metres of ascent. The army takes over the entire organisation of the event and is on site with 1,600 military personnel.
Adapted from German by DeepL/kc
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